title: Disorders of the equine thyroid gland.
abstract: Regulatory control of the thyroid gland in horses is similar to other species. Clinical signs of hypothyroidism in adult horses are minimal. Several drugs and physiologic and pathophysiological states can cause circulating thyroid hormone concentrations to be low without actual pathology of the thyroid gland. Thus, nonthyroidal factors must be ruled out before a diagnosis of hypothyroidism can be made. Thyroid hormone supplementation seems to be well tolerated, even in euthyroid horses. Neonatal foals have very high circulating thyroid hormone concentrations, and deficiencies result in significant clinical signs. Unlike in adults, two syndromes of hypothyroidism are well described in foals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, 4700 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA. Betta_breuhaus@ncsu.edu
authors.forename: Babetta A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Breuhaus
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006736:Horses; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000503:physiopathology; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones